Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli largely concern how, when, why, and what teachers should grade in a differentiated classroom. To fully posses a classroom that utilizes differentiated instruction a teacher must understand how to implement and interpret grades. Wormeli str
esses that teachers should always have assessments in mind when they are planning their lessons. Ultimately, teachers are assessors tasked with the job to get students ready to show their understanding through authentic assessment. However, there is a natural subjective nature to attaching a single letter or number to a whole piece of work. As Rick Wormeli states, “We can do better” (Wormeli, 90). To do this, Wormeli suggests several ways to structure our grading system along with many tips of what teachers should and should not do. Some practices suggest not grading non-academic aspects and allowing redo’s for all graded assessments. The heart of these chapters concerns why we grade. A teacher’s assessments should document student and teacher progress, provide feedback, and inform instructional decisions only. Once assessment is used to motivate, punish, or sort students then grading loses its meaning. The best thing a teacher can do is to establish a grading system that is transparent, informative, fair, and diversified.
Synthesis
These four chapters had a lot to say about the specifics of grading, and raised a lot of controversial issues. Collectively we all seemed to agree that it is a good policy to allow students to redo work. The general consensus was that we should never penalize our students for multiple attempts at mastery, and that these attempts are part of the learning process and should be embraced instead of rejected. We also discussed the confusion on what grades actually mean, and if they are true indicators of mastery or not. If an ‘A’ to one teacher is a ‘B’ to another, how are we – and more importantly, our students – supposed to figure out what grades stand for? We all want our assessments to mean something and for grades to be constructive and feedback-oriented instead of arbitrary. There was debate amongst the class about whether or not participation should be included in grading; some of us said that it should be included, and others disagreed. These views seem to come from the different kinds of education we received, and the experiences we’ve had that worked and didn’t work for us. Grading for effort was an iffy topic too, but we did agree that an effort grade can show teachers the difference between a student who isn’t trying and a student who just needs more help. Overall, we came to the conclusion as a class that the most important thing about grading is that, whatever method methods we use, they have to be accurate indicators of mastery.
Frank Makuch
The chapters were focused on creating appropriate grading measures for students that are above all, an accurate measure of a student’s mastery of the subject. The argument is raised, and it resonates with me as well, that all students start from a different spot. In schools we group students based primarily on how old they are. We figure that if students are of the same age they will be able to learn at the same pace as each other, and will be able to master subjects given the same time frame. Even if outside factors played no role and biology was the only difference amongst students, this would not be the case. Each student is going to learn at a different pace and the teacher is going to have to account for that. This fact makes grading extremely difficult because certain deadlines have to be enforced to operate a successful classroom. In a perfect world, each student would have to be given their own agenda in order to be fair to them. Maybe they struggle with a certain topic; they should be given more time to master the subject because mastery is the objective. This information makes me more pessimistic about schools and the use of grading.
Another interesting thing that is discussed is about grading and what grades actually mean. Teachers must be careful to make sure that they do not dilute the meaning of their grades. An example of this is when teachers use grades to motivate students into doing homework. Also, grades can be diluted through extra credit assignments which are poorly designed and are merely extra work for a student. Quizzes that inform the teacher who has done the reading and who has not, are not useful in formulating a grade. This information does not mean a student has or has not mastered a subject. Extra credit should be carefully given and should be seen as a replacement of poorly done work. In my future classroom, students will be able to retake nearly every test or redo nearly any assignment. The most important thing will be what the students know by the end of my time with them. This is what is useful.
I think that these chapters are probably controversial. On the one hand, allowing students to retake and retake over and over may put them under the impression that they do not have to be attentive and deadlines mean nothing. On the other hand, the deadlines in school really do mean nothing. We must put ourselves in our student’s shoes to make assignments and grade in a way that is fair. Many teachers view grades as a necessary evil, and I agree. Grades cannot tell the entire story, what we need are scales with different labels. That way, students can know what they are doing wrong and will be able to come up with a better plan of how to fix what they are doing wrong, instead of continuing.
Garrett Hodgkins
These for chapters discuss grading more intensely. The discuss when to grade, what to grade, how to grade, and give us thinks to avoid when grading. Some of the key things I learned were whether to grade participation, homework and behavior or not. More or less the book supports the idea of not grading these areas, because in some students these areas may not be necessary in assessing the students mastery of the unit. For instance, some students may be capable of not completing their homework simply because the in-class lecture and lesson was enough for them to grasp the needed concept in order to pass the formative assessments and summative assessments, should this student be penalized for his learning style and ability? No. It is hard however to not feel some need to reward a student for completing all areas of practice-work, even if it wasn’t entirely needed for him/her, but this should always be avoided. Furthermore, as far as participation goes the book had good ideas, although they were all self-explanatory if you have a knowledge of MI theory already. Student are always going to be more likely to participate largely in their stronger areas of intelligence. A teacher can’t always expect an introverted intelligent student to speak out in fron of the class all the time in the same way that a teacher can’t expect an athlete to come in front of the class and play a song. Teachers always need to heed students areas of intelligence, ALWAYS. This isn’t just with lessons or grading formative and summative assessments, it comes with grading participation and homework as well. Also, the book discussed on whether a well-behaved student should receive bonus points or extra marks than a not-so-well behaved student. Although a misbehaving student may disrupt class if he shows mastery of all areas you intended in the unit, how can you justify penalizing him for earlier sarcastic comments? All misbehavior has some roots, students do no simply misbehave and act out for no reason and it is the job of the teacher to try to become aware of these outside circumstances.
All of these ideas are going to be useful in a future classroom of mine. I was never sure if grading on participation was a good idea or not. I always felt like it shouldn’t come to play if you demonstrate a great mastery, but I assumed that since so many of my past teachers and professors have included this grade in their curriculum I was unsure. However, I have always had firm belief that homework and behavior should never come into play when receiving grades ( having been a firm believer of misbehaving and not doing homework in high school, while still attaining acceptable and exceeding marks) because as stated above students may still be able to perform wonderfully without homework, and even though their misbehaving may say they are uninterested, it is much more likely some other issue they have been dealing with causing them to act out.
Kiera Timme
Together, these four chapters detail the different grading policies and practices within a differentiated classroom. The chapters address issue such as subjective grading, understanding the purpose of grading, assessment and grading pitfalls, and the value of allowing students to improve upon their graded work. In these chapters, Wormeli encourages educators to be reflective practitioners, teachers who carefully analyze their grading policies and practices, who can recognize the fragility of grades and, as such, are able to keep "them in perspective” (Wormeli, p95). In order to achieve this goal, Wormeli provides details regarding different, but helpful, practices. These practices include: avoiding “equal-pacing for-all” (Wormeli, p96) and determining averages based on student comparison, providing more “formative and specific feedback” (Wormeli, p100) to help student become reflective learners, adopting a grading policy that includes non-academic/behavioral factors such as participation, progress and effort, and knowing when and where grading is beneficial and when it can be detrimental to student success. The author also advocates the value of redos. Wormeli argues that, under certain specified criteria, providing students with an opportunity to improve upon previously graded work can result in deeper learning. Moreover, Wormeli contends that the act of redos isn’t reserved to the classroom, but is, in fact, a common reality of the world we all live in.
While I found all the chapters to be persuasive and informative in their various discussions about grading, it was the ideas presented in chapter 10 really resonated with me. My high school was a land of “high stakes assessment and tests.” I was never given the opportunity to improve upon an assignment or test once it was submitted. This “one-shot” mentality meant that, as a student, the very idea of a redo never occurred to me. Yet, after reading this chapter it seems redos, under the right set of circumstances, would be a wonderful tool to aid student success. Many of us don’t get things right the first time round. I am a living, breathing example of this. I didn’t get the whole academic thing down as a teenager, especially the math part, and yet here I am currently working on a massive redo. I would definitely want to provide my students with this opportunity in my class. As one of the quoted teacher states “math is developmental. I don’t think that all kids learn math at the same pace, or at the same time in their life.” I believe my life experiences, thus far, have prepared me to be a better teacher in this regard. I have a personal understanding of what it is to struggle, particularly with math, and if a student felt like they could improve upon their performance, and were willing to adhere to the redo guidelines, I would most certainly facilitate that. I believe there are many benefits to this practice that go beyond the academic. A student who wants to improve and to reflect on their work should be encouraged to do so. How can we hope to create students who are life-long learners if we discourage these practices?
Kaitlyn Bowie
The focus of these four chapters in Fair Isn’t Always Equal is on the aspect of grading students. This topic encompasses a lot of layers, from the general consensus that the current grading system is extremely flawed and ultimately obsolete, to the debate of including aspects like attendance, effort, and preparedness into a student’s final grade. In all it is a very convoluted subject, and often gets balanced between a teacher’s personal preference and the required standards of the school district. I dread the day that I have to give out my first “F” or the first time I have to sit down with a parent and explain why their child is failing my class. In my mind this is not just a reflection of the student’s knowledge, because sometimes it isn’t, but it also shows that somewhere down the line of teaching I have failed to convey something to this student and I want to find a way to rectify that. I am a big fan of the practice of having students come and see me and have a one-on-one conference with me if they score below the standard on the grading system. I want to talk with them and find out what was happening with them on the day, or what part of the work they didn’t understand, and hopefully find a way to let them redo their mistakes and show their true proficiency. Of course, I would make this available to students who feel they want to improve a grade that has met the standard. If a student knows why they got a B instead of an A and they want that A, I will be more than happy to give them that chance.
From Kindergarten to 8th grade I had always been given a separate grade in each subject that showed my effort in that particular class. Sometimes this would prove to be a saving grace with my parents, as they always felt that if I tried it meant more than whatever grade I got. At the same time, it could also land me in even more hot water if I got a poor grade and showed no effort. However, I feel that this practice, when used correctly, could prove to be helpful with helping students, their parents, and even myself determine what needs to be changed or improved for that student. A high grade, but low effort might show that a student feels they are not being challenged enough, just as a low grade, but high effort can show that maybe a student needs an altered testing method. A grade alone really is just a label, but having a secondary effort grade or even just comments from the teacher alongside that grade can make a huge difference. That is where a student and their parents can start to understand what the teacher, is noticing, and connections and understandings can be made. At the same time, I don’t feel attendance and whether or not a student remembered a pencil should be counted into the final grade. All it shows is how nitpicky a teacher can be, and opens the door for students who want to earn the bare minimum points without trying very hard.
Tori Penney
I would love to be a teacher who did not give out grades. But I plan to be a public school teacher, and with that said, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I will have to provide grades both for the school and for the parents. Parents are so used to getting grades, and having those grades mean something, when really grades don't mean anything. Yet grades still make students, at least those that get good ones, feel accomplished. I know that is how I always felt. But I do agree that grades are kind of arbitrary, who says that a C is average? I know that when I brought home a C, my parents didn't think I was doing well in school. They wanted B's and A's. And who says that a student deserves a C and not a B? Maybe they tried incredibly hard on that essay, they did four or five drafts, but they have lots of problems happening at home and can't keep their mind straight or focused? How can I still give my students grades without it being arbitrary and meaningless?
I have mixed feelings on extra credit assignments. I know when I was in high school, extra credit was my savoir. Without it, I would have failed my math classes, which I almost did anyways. I can see, however, the idea behind not giving extra credit. It isn't fair to the rest of the students that one that wasn't doing so great got to boost their grade, while the rest did not because their grade was "good enough." I believe that if a student tries really hard but just cannot seem to grasp it, they should have another option. Instead of giving them the opportunity to do extra credit, or to redo the assignment, maybe giving them another assignment that would take its place, but that still emphasizes the skills needed to be mastered. I honestly don't know what I will do in my classroom, but this will probably be it.
I am definitely against giving a percentage of grades for participation. A lot of my teachers—and even professors—have done this in the classes I have taken. Personally, I think it is a horrible way of manipulating students. A student should want to raise their hand because they are comfortable and believe in their answer, not because they want to make sure they get those 10 or 15 points of their grade. I will not be grading participation in my classrooms at all. But I do feel like grading effort, another thing that Wormeli warns us about, is something that I will do. I believe that students who try really hard and make multiple attempts deserve credit for their trials. I was a student who tried very hard, particularly in math, and still could never quite get it. I do plan on grading on effort in my classroom. Of course, I don’t know how I would do this, because it could be a slippery slope.
Tess Perry
Grades should represent student’s level of mastery at the end of a unit. A main concern with grades is that they can be very subjective. If one school considers simply meeting the standard to be an A and another school considers exceeding the standard to be an A there will be a discrepancy between students skills at each school. Regardless of this disparity, the knowledge and skills student’s gain through a unit should be reflected in the final grade. If a student knows little on the unit topic at the beginning of the unit but grows and learns tremendously through to the end, they should have a high grade, if they are able to demonstrate their mastery proficiently at the end of the unit. The final grade should not reflect the student’s behavior throughout the unit. If a student knows and is able to successfully demonstrate their knowledge but was absent half the days, their grade should reflect their academics not their personal habits. This philosophy echoes real world situations. If an employee consistently performs their job duties successfully they will be rewarded. The employer may not like it if they continually miss work, but if it does not interfere with performance, the employer would be satisfied. The teacher and employer should challenge a student and an employee who are consistently absent. If grades are focused on academics I, as a teacher, could spend more time and effort creating engaging and meaningful lessons than grading student’s effort, attendance and behavior. If such important and noteworthy lessons occur everyday students who miss them or misbehave would be compelled to attend and pay attention in class. This would enable all students to learn and to successfully demonstrate mastery thus earning desirable grades. After determining what to grade there are several practices to avoid guaranteeing successful and accurate grading. The central theme of these practices is the make certain that grades be a sign of student mastery, this can be done by grading individuals not groups, by providing assistance when needed and by providing feedback for homework assignments, as homework is simply practice. I found this section helpful as this book clearly indicates what the ineffective grading methods are and explains why they are ineffective. One point I found particularly insightful was ‘avoid penalizing multiple attempts at mastery’. This really emphasized the notion that all students learn at different rates, just because one student understood a concept in 2 days while another student understood after 2 weeks does not mean one has mastered the concept more than the other. If both students express their proficiency equally they have earned the same grade. This idea is similar to the topic of the final chapter that described when it is appropriate to allow students to redo work. I agreed that students should redo work when they can recognize where they made mistakes and understand how to correct the errors. One suggestion from another teacher mentioned in this book was to have students write an analysis of a their test summarizing their errors, explaining why they arrived at the incorrect answer and providing the correct answer. When using this method students must reflect on past work and determine how to proceed forward at the same time showing mastery of the content.
Sean Falasca
Fair Isn’t Always Equal Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10
Grading has been a topic of controversy amongst teachers. Is it possible that we weaken curriculum based on some student information? I agree with Wormeli when he says we do, but in doing so we look at the big picture that students will actually learn the material and not just have it placed in front of them and expect them to perform on their own. We know students learn at different rates and with differentiation; students will fail to comprehend much at all. I feel like teachers have to discriminate against students because of personal backgrounds. Any way we discriminate, we should still have the same common end goal with the same amount of work for all. Be clear and consistent with criteria; agree with faculty around the school so students don’t have different expectations to meet for each class they have, it’s also our jobs as teachers to be highly knowledgeable in our subject so we can assess student understanding and growth, and grades can be subjective in nature and not properly reflect a students body of work. Even though grades can be subjective, they are still useful tools of reflection and communication. Just because we as teachers may lower our grade expectation due to a student’s socioeconomic status, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the same expectation for them as everyone else. Work shouldn’t be made easier, but more relatable. As time has progressed we have come to expect more from our students. Instead of a C being the average grade, now a B is going to be the new average. Telling students they all have an A in their class in the beginning is something we should stand clear of. Students then feel pressured to be perfect the entire class to maintain their A. Grading is seen as a necessary evil and only done because they are forced to. Grading is done because they are kept as documentation for progress or regression, to provide feedback to teachers, families, and students, to motivate students, to punish, and to sort students. I don’t think grades should ever be used as a punishment. That isn’t fair to a student and then distorts the student’s growth and mastery. Also, students shouldn’t use grades as a motivator. That can lead to them just simply memorizing to earn a good grade and then they will loose whatever they learned in as soon as the next day. Also, participation and class behavior should no be used in the grading process unless we are actually teaching about participation and behavior. Don’t penalize students using multiple attempts to master something and don’t incorporate nonacademic factors. It’s not fair to grade everyone with the expectation that everyone understands everything completely the first shot at it. Also, don’t grade homework. You are supposed to practice when doing homework not learning. Providing important feedback on students homework is helping them master content while grading it pressures them to perform well.
Jon Delorme
Chapters 7, 8, 9,10 FIAE
To fully posses a classroom that utilizes differentiated instruction a teacher must understand how to implement and interpret grades. As teachers we should always have assessments in mind when we plan our lessons. Ultimately we teachers are assessors, and it is our job to get students to a point where they are able to show what they have learned through authentic assessments. That is why grading is such a tricky practice. There is a natural subjective nature to attaching a single letter or number to a whole piece of work. As Rick Wormeli states, “We can do better” (Wormeli, 90). But we cannot abolish grades completely, at least most teachers do not agree with this idea (Wormeli, 94). I also agree that grades are justified and can give a sense of level of understanding and provide feedback. I feel like I do not know how to function in a school if there were no grades. I have been a product of the system for too long to throw grading out of the window, although I wish I could.
Chapter 8 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal attempts to establish why we grade. Six reasons were given: to document student and teacher progress, to provide feedback to the student and family, to inform instructional decisions, to motivate, to punish, and to sort students. The first three are the ones that Wormeli tried to emphasize. The last three diminish the meaning of grades and only serve to distance students from wanting to pursue learning. As a student I do not think I ever ran across a teacher who deliberately tried to punish a student through grading, but there were teachers who tried to motivate us. This of course is extrinsic motivation, which is much less effective than intrinsic motivation. Wormeli also suggests that teachers should not grade participation. I do not agree with this because I feel participation is important. To me, grades do not have to be all about the content. Other factors should be included in the final grade that people use in the real world.
One policy I want as a teacher is that there will be no penalty for revisions of work. If a student hands an assignment in to me on time they can re-do that assignment how many times they want until a week before school ends. Also, I hated when teachers graded my homework. I will not do that as a teacher. Among the other eight tips provided by Wormeli in Chapter 9 I agree with most of them. But the two mentioned earlier I am most passionate about. Allowing re-dos is expanded upon more in Chapter 10. Reading about it more makes even more sense. I think students would appreciate this policy and would help the students who learn at different paces.
Molly Olsen
The nature of grades is certainly a complex one. One of the largest debates in this sector comes from the question of what are we grading when we stamp an A, B, C, D, or F on a report card? Some teachers say that we should grade students as though it is their job, which means taking into account attitude and attendance along with quality of work. Unlike a job, some teachers say you should consider whether a student has truly tried to master the material, and that if they have, they should be rewarded with a higher grade. There are also teachers who believe that the only thing that a report card grade should show is how a student did on the assessments.
The idea which most appeals to me is one in which you grade based on assessment, but have a separate grade for the behavioral aspects. I see the flaws in the single-grading system, but I also believe that whether or not a student tried on an assessment is important as well. I know that in the "real world" it doesn't matter if you "tried" if the product is bad, but as the book continues to remind me, I am working with adults-in-the-making (or as they put it "morphing", which just sounded a bit gross to be honest), who are not yet fully-developed grown-up.
Something else to consider is the fact that what is an "A" to one teacher, isn't necessarily an "A" to another. Some teachers see an "A" as having gone above and beyond, while others may see it as simply meeting all of the criteria addressed. This inconsistency leaves students at a loss; often they must interpret grades themselves. This is why putting comments on grade reports would serve a positive purpose, so students and their parents understand why they were given the grade they received.
What if a student wants to improve a grade with a re-do? I personally think re-dos are appropriate, especially because if a student asks for it— this shows initiative from them to improve themselves. But there are definitely some rules. First, be clear on when it is okay to redo things and when it is not. Second, make sure that you offer the re-do to all students no matter what grade they achieved. And third, instead of doing a grade penalty, consider having students explain why they got an answer incorrect, they must attend a review session, or say that they must stay after school, so that people who don't actually care about their grades simply won't put in the effort, while those that do, will be given the chance.
Some schools are doing away with grades all together, and you know what? It's great. Students are less stressed, and are more focused on truly learning instead of earning a grade on a report card. The students who are given graded report cards are struggling in comparison. On page 94 Alfie Kohn says: "To read the available research on grading is to notice three robust findings: students who are given grades, or for whom grades are made particularly salient, tend to (1) display less interest in what they are doing, (2) fare worse on meaningful measures of learning, and (3) avoid more difficult tasks when given the opportunity— as compared with those in non-graded comparison group."
Caroline Murphy
Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal talked about the ways that we need to change our grading tactics in order to match up with differentiated instruction. The key point was that all grades in their various forms need to be measurements of mastery, and the ways that teachers grade currently are not often accurate representations of this. Grades also need to provide teachers with specific, informative feedback about how much content their students are learning. The book says that things like effort, homework, and participation are factored into finals grades in ways that do not benefit students. There is a fine line between rewarding students for trying hard and allowing them to have a good grade without knowing the material well enough. The author says that all three should be considered as steps in the process of mastery, and that we should not penalize students for the time it takes them to master the content because the learning process is just as important as the material. The job of a teacher is to guide students through these steps, not punish them if they don’t understand everything right away. The book says a lot about grading homework, and how this impedes the learning process because low grades do more to discourage students than empower them, and a grade earned at the point when a student has not had adequate time to master the material should not be factored into their overall score. The same goes with giving students the opportunity to redo work for full credit. If the student doesn’t fully master the material on their first try, it does them a disservice to not let them have another chance to learn it and prove that they know it.
I went to schools that always took a very traditional approach to grading, so that’s all I know. A lot of the things these chapters had to say about grades seemed foreign to me, and because I enjoyed my school experiences so much, it’s tempting to say that the author might be stretching things a little bit. But the more I think about it, the more I see that grading has to be differentiated just like instruction does. Grades are a huge factor in students’ lives. They have the ability to cause so much anxiety and stress, as well as low self-esteem or an overdeveloped sense of self. Grades determined what college a student will attend and even if they will graduate or not. Because of these things, grades are not to be taken lightly. Even though it would be easier for me to stick with what I have always known when I am a teacher, I’m going to try really hard to think about what is best for the students instead of what is easiest for me as the teacher. I think teachers need to stop thinking about grades as the end portion of a lesson and instead see them as another stepping stone, as a way to modify and personalize their teaching in a way that best suits their students.
Alison Hutchins
Grades are a huge issue in education that is under constant debate, and this is a lot of what these chapters were about. How to grade fairly is something that teachers have to face every day. Because every student is different, and living under a different situation, how they should be graded can be extremely varied, but the educator needs to do this while continuing to hold the entire class to the same standards. There are also huge variations in what teachers grade on; some grade more on effort, while others grade very strictly on every aspect of classroom life. There is a lot of agreement that the grading system is very flawed, as it doesn't accurately depict all that a student knows, or the person that a student is.
I know that in math, for example, I tried so, so hard and I still did terribly, I even failed algebra II because I just could not understand it. It looked terrible to my parents though, because they had a really hard time believing that I was trying if I was doing so poorly, it was my only bad class so they assumed that, if effort could get me good grades in every other class, I must not be putting effort into math. When I got to senior year and was working on making up the grade with a different teacher, I actually did really well because the teacher was amazing a differentiating the lesson to help me understand.
Anyway, grading systems should be more holistic. There was a lot of talk about grading on preparedness and attendance, and while these are important things, I think it is crazy to base student performance on that. The teenage years are really hard on kids, and whether they have a pencil or their notebook is not always their biggest life concern. I know that I never remembered anything that I was supposed to bring to class, and the teachers that were okay with that and helped me find ways to rectify whatever I'd forgotten were consistently the ones that I respected, adored, and learned from the most.
Grading is obviously important, and I'm all for a 100-point scale, I think students do need to be challenged and reminded why they're in school to some extent, but grades should absolutely never be used as something that makes a student feel less than they are, like they're stupid, or like trying is not ever going to be good enough. If grading could be in a place where they inspire students, and guide them through a beautifully whole education that really allowed them to master the information regardless of how the attain it. There are students that may be poor test-takers, or not great at writing answers and I really do not believe that giving these students one opportunity to show me that they understand the information and giving them no chance to fix mistakes they may have made in exhibiting their knowledge, is a good way to encourage students to put in the effort to learn.
Amy Jones
These for chapters in Fair Isn't Always Equal all talk about different ideas in the topic of grading. Some of the ideas made a lot sense to me but others I feel as though they were either unclear or were ideas that I personally do not agree with. On page 92 the author states that “our role is to present the curriculum and provide that tough, real-life accountability”. This is a role that I hope to embrace and carry-out. I want my students to be responsible for their learning and to also really understand the information that I present, because all of what I say about health can be implemented in their everyday lives. The chapters also bring to light the differences in teachers and how they grade. I think this is why checklist and rubrics are so important. They give the teacher, student and parents a guide to go by, and when the parents are complaining to the teacher that they child should have gotten a better grade, its proof for the teacher. Simply hand them the rubric/checklist and have them see why you gave them the grade they did. My feeling on homework is that I feel as though it is necessary. Being an upcoming health teacher going through practicum and seeing how short that my mentor teacher gets with her students makes me realize the importance. I feel as though it should be practice and a time where the students can realize if they need more help. In the same breath I don’t feel as though it should be graded for accuracy, but I do think that feedback on homework is very necessary for both teacher and student. If it’s apparent that the students are fully understand the material based on their homework, as the teacher it’s time for you to differentiate your teaching style. I feel as though if you are teaching differentiation in your classroom than re-do’s need to be a part of that. We all know that kids do not learn at the same speed, so who are we to say that they don’t need more time. Along with that statement I will like to also clear up something. I think re-do’s are great for those who just didn't the assignment or the material covered, but if students are just half fasting the assignment, because they know they can just re-do it for a better grade is a very different idea. In the society that we live in the public puts so much pressure on student get A’s. I think that its more beneficial is students use a 4 point grading system such as (Does not meet, partially meets, meets, exceeds), but I do feel as though this isn't the best way either. I feel as though standards need to be established at the start of the year, and if the students meets all of those standards than they should get to pass the grade.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal by Rick Wormeli largely concern how, when, why, and what teachers should grade in a differentiated classroom. To fully posses a classroom that utilizes differentiated instruction a teacher must understand how to implement and interpret grades. Wormeli stresses that teachers should always have assessments in mind when they are planning their lessons. Ultimately, teachers are assessors tasked with the job to get students ready to show their understanding through authentic assessment. However, there is a natural subjective nature to attaching a single letter or number to a whole piece of work. As Rick Wormeli states, “We can do better” (Wormeli, 90). To do this, Wormeli suggests several ways to structure our grading system along with many tips of what teachers should and should not do. Some practices suggest not grading non-academic aspects and allowing redo’s for all graded assessments. The heart of these chapters concerns why we grade. A teacher’s assessments should document student and teacher progress, provide feedback, and inform instructional decisions only. Once assessment is used to motivate, punish, or sort students then grading loses its meaning. The best thing a teacher can do is to establish a grading system that is transparent, informative, fair, and diversified.
Synthesis
These four chapters had a lot to say about the specifics of grading, and raised a lot of controversial issues. Collectively we all seemed to agree that it is a good policy to allow students to redo work. The general consensus was that we should never penalize our students for multiple attempts at mastery, and that these attempts are part of the learning process and should be embraced instead of rejected. We also discussed the confusion on what grades actually mean, and if they are true indicators of mastery or not. If an ‘A’ to one teacher is a ‘B’ to another, how are we – and more importantly, our students – supposed to figure out what grades stand for? We all want our assessments to mean something and for grades to be constructive and feedback-oriented instead of arbitrary. There was debate amongst the class about whether or not participation should be included in grading; some of us said that it should be included, and others disagreed. These views seem to come from the different kinds of education we received, and the experiences we’ve had that worked and didn’t work for us. Grading for effort was an iffy topic too, but we did agree that an effort grade can show teachers the difference between a student who isn’t trying and a student who just needs more help. Overall, we came to the conclusion as a class that the most important thing about grading is that, whatever method methods we use, they have to be accurate indicators of mastery.Frank Makuch
The chapters were focused on creating appropriate grading measures for students that are above all, an accurate measure of a student’s mastery of the subject. The argument is raised, and it resonates with me as well, that all students start from a different spot. In schools we group students based primarily on how old they are. We figure that if students are of the same age they will be able to learn at the same pace as each other, and will be able to master subjects given the same time frame. Even if outside factors played no role and biology was the only difference amongst students, this would not be the case. Each student is going to learn at a different pace and the teacher is going to have to account for that. This fact makes grading extremely difficult because certain deadlines have to be enforced to operate a successful classroom. In a perfect world, each student would have to be given their own agenda in order to be fair to them. Maybe they struggle with a certain topic; they should be given more time to master the subject because mastery is the objective. This information makes me more pessimistic about schools and the use of grading.Another interesting thing that is discussed is about grading and what grades actually mean. Teachers must be careful to make sure that they do not dilute the meaning of their grades. An example of this is when teachers use grades to motivate students into doing homework. Also, grades can be diluted through extra credit assignments which are poorly designed and are merely extra work for a student. Quizzes that inform the teacher who has done the reading and who has not, are not useful in formulating a grade. This information does not mean a student has or has not mastered a subject. Extra credit should be carefully given and should be seen as a replacement of poorly done work. In my future classroom, students will be able to retake nearly every test or redo nearly any assignment. The most important thing will be what the students know by the end of my time with them. This is what is useful.
I think that these chapters are probably controversial. On the one hand, allowing students to retake and retake over and over may put them under the impression that they do not have to be attentive and deadlines mean nothing. On the other hand, the deadlines in school really do mean nothing. We must put ourselves in our student’s shoes to make assignments and grade in a way that is fair. Many teachers view grades as a necessary evil, and I agree. Grades cannot tell the entire story, what we need are scales with different labels. That way, students can know what they are doing wrong and will be able to come up with a better plan of how to fix what they are doing wrong, instead of continuing.
Garrett Hodgkins
These for chapters discuss grading more intensely. The discuss when to grade, what to grade, how to grade, and give us thinks to avoid when grading. Some of the key things I learned were whether to grade participation, homework and behavior or not. More or less the book supports the idea of not grading these areas, because in some students these areas may not be necessary in assessing the students mastery of the unit. For instance, some students may be capable of not completing their homework simply because the in-class lecture and lesson was enough for them to grasp the needed concept in order to pass the formative assessments and summative assessments, should this student be penalized for his learning style and ability? No. It is hard however to not feel some need to reward a student for completing all areas of practice-work, even if it wasn’t entirely needed for him/her, but this should always be avoided. Furthermore, as far as participation goes the book had good ideas, although they were all self-explanatory if you have a knowledge of MI theory already. Student are always going to be more likely to participate largely in their stronger areas of intelligence. A teacher can’t always expect an introverted intelligent student to speak out in fron of the class all the time in the same way that a teacher can’t expect an athlete to come in front of the class and play a song. Teachers always need to heed students areas of intelligence, ALWAYS. This isn’t just with lessons or grading formative and summative assessments, it comes with grading participation and homework as well. Also, the book discussed on whether a well-behaved student should receive bonus points or extra marks than a not-so-well behaved student. Although a misbehaving student may disrupt class if he shows mastery of all areas you intended in the unit, how can you justify penalizing him for earlier sarcastic comments? All misbehavior has some roots, students do no simply misbehave and act out for no reason and it is the job of the teacher to try to become aware of these outside circumstances.All of these ideas are going to be useful in a future classroom of mine. I was never sure if grading on participation was a good idea or not. I always felt like it shouldn’t come to play if you demonstrate a great mastery, but I assumed that since so many of my past teachers and professors have included this grade in their curriculum I was unsure. However, I have always had firm belief that homework and behavior should never come into play when receiving grades ( having been a firm believer of misbehaving and not doing homework in high school, while still attaining acceptable and exceeding marks) because as stated above students may still be able to perform wonderfully without homework, and even though their misbehaving may say they are uninterested, it is much more likely some other issue they have been dealing with causing them to act out.
Kiera Timme
Together, these four chapters detail the different grading policies and practices within a differentiated classroom. The chapters address issue such as subjective grading, understanding the purpose of grading, assessment and grading pitfalls, and the value of allowing students to improve upon their graded work. In these chapters, Wormeli encourages educators to be reflective practitioners, teachers who carefully analyze their grading policies and practices, who can recognize the fragility of grades and, as such, are able to keep "them in perspective” (Wormeli, p95). In order to achieve this goal, Wormeli provides details regarding different, but helpful, practices. These practices include: avoiding “equal-pacing for-all” (Wormeli, p96) and determining averages based on student comparison, providing more “formative and specific feedback” (Wormeli, p100) to help student become reflective learners, adopting a grading policy that includes non-academic/behavioral factors such as participation, progress and effort, and knowing when and where grading is beneficial and when it can be detrimental to student success. The author also advocates the value of redos. Wormeli argues that, under certain specified criteria, providing students with an opportunity to improve upon previously graded work can result in deeper learning. Moreover, Wormeli contends that the act of redos isn’t reserved to the classroom, but is, in fact, a common reality of the world we all live in.While I found all the chapters to be persuasive and informative in their various discussions about grading, it was the ideas presented in chapter 10 really resonated with me. My high school was a land of “high stakes assessment and tests.” I was never given the opportunity to improve upon an assignment or test once it was submitted. This “one-shot” mentality meant that, as a student, the very idea of a redo never occurred to me. Yet, after reading this chapter it seems redos, under the right set of circumstances, would be a wonderful tool to aid student success. Many of us don’t get things right the first time round. I am a living, breathing example of this. I didn’t get the whole academic thing down as a teenager, especially the math part, and yet here I am currently working on a massive redo. I would definitely want to provide my students with this opportunity in my class. As one of the quoted teacher states “math is developmental. I don’t think that all kids learn math at the same pace, or at the same time in their life.” I believe my life experiences, thus far, have prepared me to be a better teacher in this regard. I have a personal understanding of what it is to struggle, particularly with math, and if a student felt like they could improve upon their performance, and were willing to adhere to the redo guidelines, I would most certainly facilitate that. I believe there are many benefits to this practice that go beyond the academic. A student who wants to improve and to reflect on their work should be encouraged to do so. How can we hope to create students who are life-long learners if we discourage these practices?
Kaitlyn Bowie
The focus of these four chapters in Fair Isn’t Always Equal is on the aspect of grading students. This topic encompasses a lot of layers, from the general consensus that the current grading system is extremely flawed and ultimately obsolete, to the debate of including aspects like attendance, effort, and preparedness into a student’s final grade. In all it is a very convoluted subject, and often gets balanced between a teacher’s personal preference and the required standards of the school district. I dread the day that I have to give out my first “F” or the first time I have to sit down with a parent and explain why their child is failing my class. In my mind this is not just a reflection of the student’s knowledge, because sometimes it isn’t, but it also shows that somewhere down the line of teaching I have failed to convey something to this student and I want to find a way to rectify that. I am a big fan of the practice of having students come and see me and have a one-on-one conference with me if they score below the standard on the grading system. I want to talk with them and find out what was happening with them on the day, or what part of the work they didn’t understand, and hopefully find a way to let them redo their mistakes and show their true proficiency. Of course, I would make this available to students who feel they want to improve a grade that has met the standard. If a student knows why they got a B instead of an A and they want that A, I will be more than happy to give them that chance.From Kindergarten to 8th grade I had always been given a separate grade in each subject that showed my effort in that particular class. Sometimes this would prove to be a saving grace with my parents, as they always felt that if I tried it meant more than whatever grade I got. At the same time, it could also land me in even more hot water if I got a poor grade and showed no effort. However, I feel that this practice, when used correctly, could prove to be helpful with helping students, their parents, and even myself determine what needs to be changed or improved for that student. A high grade, but low effort might show that a student feels they are not being challenged enough, just as a low grade, but high effort can show that maybe a student needs an altered testing method. A grade alone really is just a label, but having a secondary effort grade or even just comments from the teacher alongside that grade can make a huge difference. That is where a student and their parents can start to understand what the teacher, is noticing, and connections and understandings can be made. At the same time, I don’t feel attendance and whether or not a student remembered a pencil should be counted into the final grade. All it shows is how nitpicky a teacher can be, and opens the door for students who want to earn the bare minimum points without trying very hard.
Tori Penney
I would love to be a teacher who did not give out grades. But I plan to be a public school teacher, and with that said, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I will have to provide grades both for the school and for the parents. Parents are so used to getting grades, and having those grades mean something, when really grades don't mean anything. Yet grades still make students, at least those that get good ones, feel accomplished. I know that is how I always felt. But I do agree that grades are kind of arbitrary, who says that a C is average? I know that when I brought home a C, my parents didn't think I was doing well in school. They wanted B's and A's. And who says that a student deserves a C and not a B? Maybe they tried incredibly hard on that essay, they did four or five drafts, but they have lots of problems happening at home and can't keep their mind straight or focused? How can I still give my students grades without it being arbitrary and meaningless?I have mixed feelings on extra credit assignments. I know when I was in high school, extra credit was my savoir. Without it, I would have failed my math classes, which I almost did anyways. I can see, however, the idea behind not giving extra credit. It isn't fair to the rest of the students that one that wasn't doing so great got to boost their grade, while the rest did not because their grade was "good enough." I believe that if a student tries really hard but just cannot seem to grasp it, they should have another option. Instead of giving them the opportunity to do extra credit, or to redo the assignment, maybe giving them another assignment that would take its place, but that still emphasizes the skills needed to be mastered. I honestly don't know what I will do in my classroom, but this will probably be it.
I am definitely against giving a percentage of grades for participation. A lot of my teachers—and even professors—have done this in the classes I have taken. Personally, I think it is a horrible way of manipulating students. A student should want to raise their hand because they are comfortable and believe in their answer, not because they want to make sure they get those 10 or 15 points of their grade. I will not be grading participation in my classrooms at all. But I do feel like grading effort, another thing that Wormeli warns us about, is something that I will do. I believe that students who try really hard and make multiple attempts deserve credit for their trials. I was a student who tried very hard, particularly in math, and still could never quite get it. I do plan on grading on effort in my classroom. Of course, I don’t know how I would do this, because it could be a slippery slope.
Tess Perry
Grades should represent student’s level of mastery at the end of a unit. A main concern with grades is that they can be very subjective. If one school considers simply meeting the standard to be an A and another school considers exceeding the standard to be an A there will be a discrepancy between students skills at each school. Regardless of this disparity, the knowledge and skills student’s gain through a unit should be reflected in the final grade. If a student knows little on the unit topic at the beginning of the unit but grows and learns tremendously through to the end, they should have a high grade, if they are able to demonstrate their mastery proficiently at the end of the unit. The final grade should not reflect the student’s behavior throughout the unit. If a student knows and is able to successfully demonstrate their knowledge but was absent half the days, their grade should reflect their academics not their personal habits. This philosophy echoes real world situations. If an employee consistently performs their job duties successfully they will be rewarded. The employer may not like it if they continually miss work, but if it does not interfere with performance, the employer would be satisfied. The teacher and employer should challenge a student and an employee who are consistently absent. If grades are focused on academics I, as a teacher, could spend more time and effort creating engaging and meaningful lessons than grading student’s effort, attendance and behavior. If such important and noteworthy lessons occur everyday students who miss them or misbehave would be compelled to attend and pay attention in class. This would enable all students to learn and to successfully demonstrate mastery thus earning desirable grades.
After determining what to grade there are several practices to avoid guaranteeing successful and accurate grading. The central theme of these practices is the make certain that grades be a sign of student mastery, this can be done by grading individuals not groups, by providing assistance when needed and by providing feedback for homework assignments, as homework is simply practice. I found this section helpful as this book clearly indicates what the ineffective grading methods are and explains why they are ineffective. One point I found particularly insightful was ‘avoid penalizing multiple attempts at mastery’. This really emphasized the notion that all students learn at different rates, just because one student understood a concept in 2 days while another student understood after 2 weeks does not mean one has mastered the concept more than the other. If both students express their proficiency equally they have earned the same grade. This idea is similar to the topic of the final chapter that described when it is appropriate to allow students to redo work. I agreed that students should redo work when they can recognize where they made mistakes and understand how to correct the errors. One suggestion from another teacher mentioned in this book was to have students write an analysis of a their test summarizing their errors, explaining why they arrived at the incorrect answer and providing the correct answer. When using this method students must reflect on past work and determine how to proceed forward at the same time showing mastery of the content.
Sean Falasca
Fair Isn’t Always Equal Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10
Grading has been a topic of controversy amongst teachers. Is it possible that we weaken curriculum based on some student information? I agree with Wormeli when he says we do, but in doing so we look at the big picture that students will actually learn the material and not just have it placed in front of them and expect them to perform on their own. We know students learn at different rates and with differentiation; students will fail to comprehend much at all. I feel like teachers have to discriminate against students because of personal backgrounds. Any way we discriminate, we should still have the same common end goal with the same amount of work for all. Be clear and consistent with criteria; agree with faculty around the school so students don’t have different expectations to meet for each class they have, it’s also our jobs as teachers to be highly knowledgeable in our subject so we can assess student understanding and growth, and grades can be subjective in nature and not properly reflect a students body of work. Even though grades can be subjective, they are still useful tools of reflection and communication. Just because we as teachers may lower our grade expectation due to a student’s socioeconomic status, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the same expectation for them as everyone else. Work shouldn’t be made easier, but more relatable. As time has progressed we have come to expect more from our students. Instead of a C being the average grade, now a B is going to be the new average. Telling students they all have an A in their class in the beginning is something we should stand clear of. Students then feel pressured to be perfect the entire class to maintain their A. Grading is seen as a necessary evil and only done because they are forced to. Grading is done because they are kept as documentation for progress or regression, to provide feedback to teachers, families, and students, to motivate students, to punish, and to sort students. I don’t think grades should ever be used as a punishment. That isn’t fair to a student and then distorts the student’s growth and mastery. Also, students shouldn’t use grades as a motivator. That can lead to them just simply memorizing to earn a good grade and then they will loose whatever they learned in as soon as the next day. Also, participation and class behavior should no be used in the grading process unless we are actually teaching about participation and behavior. Don’t penalize students using multiple attempts to master something and don’t incorporate nonacademic factors. It’s not fair to grade everyone with the expectation that everyone understands everything completely the first shot at it. Also, don’t grade homework. You are supposed to practice when doing homework not learning. Providing important feedback on students homework is helping them master content while grading it pressures them to perform well.
Jon Delorme
Chapters 7, 8, 9,10 FIAE
To fully posses a classroom that utilizes differentiated instruction a teacher must understand how to implement and interpret grades. As teachers we should always have assessments in mind when we plan our lessons. Ultimately we teachers are assessors, and it is our job to get students to a point where they are able to show what they have learned through authentic assessments. That is why grading is such a tricky practice. There is a natural subjective nature to attaching a single letter or number to a whole piece of work. As Rick Wormeli states, “We can do better” (Wormeli, 90). But we cannot abolish grades completely, at least most teachers do not agree with this idea (Wormeli, 94). I also agree that grades are justified and can give a sense of level of understanding and provide feedback. I feel like I do not know how to function in a school if there were no grades. I have been a product of the system for too long to throw grading out of the window, although I wish I could.
Chapter 8 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal attempts to establish why we grade. Six reasons were given: to document student and teacher progress, to provide feedback to the student and family, to inform instructional decisions, to motivate, to punish, and to sort students. The first three are the ones that Wormeli tried to emphasize. The last three diminish the meaning of grades and only serve to distance students from wanting to pursue learning. As a student I do not think I ever ran across a teacher who deliberately tried to punish a student through grading, but there were teachers who tried to motivate us. This of course is extrinsic motivation, which is much less effective than intrinsic motivation. Wormeli also suggests that teachers should not grade participation. I do not agree with this because I feel participation is important. To me, grades do not have to be all about the content. Other factors should be included in the final grade that people use in the real world.
One policy I want as a teacher is that there will be no penalty for revisions of work. If a student hands an assignment in to me on time they can re-do that assignment how many times they want until a week before school ends. Also, I hated when teachers graded my homework. I will not do that as a teacher. Among the other eight tips provided by Wormeli in Chapter 9 I agree with most of them. But the two mentioned earlier I am most passionate about. Allowing re-dos is expanded upon more in Chapter 10. Reading about it more makes even more sense. I think students would appreciate this policy and would help the students who learn at different paces.
Molly Olsen
The nature of grades is certainly a complex one. One of the largest debates in this sector comes from the question of what are we grading when we stamp an A, B, C, D, or F on a report card? Some teachers say that we should grade students as though it is their job, which means taking into account attitude and attendance along with quality of work. Unlike a job, some teachers say you should consider whether a student has truly tried to master the material, and that if they have, they should be rewarded with a higher grade. There are also teachers who believe that the only thing that a report card grade should show is how a student did on the assessments.The idea which most appeals to me is one in which you grade based on assessment, but have a separate grade for the behavioral aspects. I see the flaws in the single-grading system, but I also believe that whether or not a student tried on an assessment is important as well. I know that in the "real world" it doesn't matter if you "tried" if the product is bad, but as the book continues to remind me, I am working with adults-in-the-making (or as they put it "morphing", which just sounded a bit gross to be honest), who are not yet fully-developed grown-up.
Something else to consider is the fact that what is an "A" to one teacher, isn't necessarily an "A" to another. Some teachers see an "A" as having gone above and beyond, while others may see it as simply meeting all of the criteria addressed. This inconsistency leaves students at a loss; often they must interpret grades themselves. This is why putting comments on grade reports would serve a positive purpose, so students and their parents understand why they were given the grade they received.
What if a student wants to improve a grade with a re-do? I personally think re-dos are appropriate, especially because if a student asks for it— this shows initiative from them to improve themselves. But there are definitely some rules. First, be clear on when it is okay to redo things and when it is not. Second, make sure that you offer the re-do to all students no matter what grade they achieved. And third, instead of doing a grade penalty, consider having students explain why they got an answer incorrect, they must attend a review session, or say that they must stay after school, so that people who don't actually care about their grades simply won't put in the effort, while those that do, will be given the chance.
Some schools are doing away with grades all together, and you know what? It's great. Students are less stressed, and are more focused on truly learning instead of earning a grade on a report card. The students who are given graded report cards are struggling in comparison. On page 94 Alfie Kohn says: "To read the available research on grading is to notice three robust findings: students who are given grades, or for whom grades are made particularly salient, tend to (1) display less interest in what they are doing, (2) fare worse on meaningful measures of learning, and (3) avoid more difficult tasks when given the opportunity— as compared with those in non-graded comparison group."
Caroline Murphy
Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal talked about the ways that we need to change our grading tactics in order to match up with differentiated instruction. The key point was that all grades in their various forms need to be measurements of mastery, and the ways that teachers grade currently are not often accurate representations of this. Grades also need to provide teachers with specific, informative feedback about how much content their students are learning. The book says that things like effort, homework, and participation are factored into finals grades in ways that do not benefit students. There is a fine line between rewarding students for trying hard and allowing them to have a good grade without knowing the material well enough. The author says that all three should be considered as steps in the process of mastery, and that we should not penalize students for the time it takes them to master the content because the learning process is just as important as the material. The job of a teacher is to guide students through these steps, not punish them if they don’t understand everything right away. The book says a lot about grading homework, and how this impedes the learning process because low grades do more to discourage students than empower them, and a grade earned at the point when a student has not had adequate time to master the material should not be factored into their overall score. The same goes with giving students the opportunity to redo work for full credit. If the student doesn’t fully master the material on their first try, it does them a disservice to not let them have another chance to learn it and prove that they know it.I went to schools that always took a very traditional approach to grading, so that’s all I know. A lot of the things these chapters had to say about grades seemed foreign to me, and because I enjoyed my school experiences so much, it’s tempting to say that the author might be stretching things a little bit. But the more I think about it, the more I see that grading has to be differentiated just like instruction does. Grades are a huge factor in students’ lives. They have the ability to cause so much anxiety and stress, as well as low self-esteem or an overdeveloped sense of self. Grades determined what college a student will attend and even if they will graduate or not. Because of these things, grades are not to be taken lightly. Even though it would be easier for me to stick with what I have always known when I am a teacher, I’m going to try really hard to think about what is best for the students instead of what is easiest for me as the teacher. I think teachers need to stop thinking about grades as the end portion of a lesson and instead see them as another stepping stone, as a way to modify and personalize their teaching in a way that best suits their students.
Alison Hutchins
Grades are a huge issue in education that is under constant debate, and this is a lot of what these chapters were about. How to grade fairly is something that teachers have to face every day. Because every student is different, and living under a different situation, how they should be graded can be extremely varied, but the educator needs to do this while continuing to hold the entire class to the same standards. There are also huge variations in what teachers grade on; some grade more on effort, while others grade very strictly on every aspect of classroom life. There is a lot of agreement that the grading system is very flawed, as it doesn't accurately depict all that a student knows, or the person that a student is.
I know that in math, for example, I tried so, so hard and I still did terribly, I even failed algebra II because I just could not understand it. It looked terrible to my parents though, because they had a really hard time believing that I was trying if I was doing so poorly, it was my only bad class so they assumed that, if effort could get me good grades in every other class, I must not be putting effort into math. When I got to senior year and was working on making up the grade with a different teacher, I actually did really well because the teacher was amazing a differentiating the lesson to help me understand.
Anyway, grading systems should be more holistic. There was a lot of talk about grading on preparedness and attendance, and while these are important things, I think it is crazy to base student performance on that. The teenage years are really hard on kids, and whether they have a pencil or their notebook is not always their biggest life concern. I know that I never remembered anything that I was supposed to bring to class, and the teachers that were okay with that and helped me find ways to rectify whatever I'd forgotten were consistently the ones that I respected, adored, and learned from the most.
Grading is obviously important, and I'm all for a 100-point scale, I think students do need to be challenged and reminded why they're in school to some extent, but grades should absolutely never be used as something that makes a student feel less than they are, like they're stupid, or like trying is not ever going to be good enough. If grading could be in a place where they inspire students, and guide them through a beautifully whole education that really allowed them to master the information regardless of how the attain it. There are students that may be poor test-takers, or not great at writing answers and I really do not believe that giving these students one opportunity to show me that they understand the information and giving them no chance to fix mistakes they may have made in exhibiting their knowledge, is a good way to encourage students to put in the effort to learn.
Amy Jones
These for chapters in Fair Isn't Always Equal all talk about different ideas in the topic of grading. Some of the ideas made a lot sense to me but others I feel as though they were either unclear or were ideas that I personally do not agree with. On page 92 the author states that “our role is to present the curriculum and provide that tough, real-life accountability”. This is a role that I hope to embrace and carry-out. I want my students to be responsible for their learning and to also really understand the information that I present, because all of what I say about health can be implemented in their everyday lives. The chapters also bring to light the differences in teachers and how they grade. I think this is why checklist and rubrics are so important. They give the teacher, student and parents a guide to go by, and when the parents are complaining to the teacher that they child should have gotten a better grade, its proof for the teacher. Simply hand them the rubric/checklist and have them see why you gave them the grade they did. My feeling on homework is that I feel as though it is necessary. Being an upcoming health teacher going through practicum and seeing how short that my mentor teacher gets with her students makes me realize the importance. I feel as though it should be practice and a time where the students can realize if they need more help. In the same breath I don’t feel as though it should be graded for accuracy, but I do think that feedback on homework is very necessary for both teacher and student. If it’s apparent that the students are fully understand the material based on their homework, as the teacher it’s time for you to differentiate your teaching style. I feel as though if you are teaching differentiation in your classroom than re-do’s need to be a part of that. We all know that kids do not learn at the same speed, so who are we to say that they don’t need more time. Along with that statement I will like to also clear up something. I think re-do’s are great for those who just didn't the assignment or the material covered, but if students are just half fasting the assignment, because they know they can just re-do it for a better grade is a very different idea. In the society that we live in the public puts so much pressure on student get A’s. I think that its more beneficial is students use a 4 point grading system such as (Does not meet, partially meets, meets, exceeds), but I do feel as though this isn't the best way either. I feel as though standards need to be established at the start of the year, and if the students meets all of those standards than they should get to pass the grade.